Savannah Morning News
Savannah State President Kimberly Ballard-Washington has resigned. What we know.
Will Peebles
Savannah State President Kimberly Ballard-Washington has resigned from her post, according to an email sent to SSU faculty on Thursday afternoon. …Also on Thursday, University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor Sonny Perdue named Cynthia Robinson Alexander as interim president of Savannah State University, effective July 1, 2023. Alexander currently serves as the USG’s associate vice chancellor for finance. …“Ms. Alexander brings a passion for higher education and student success, a sharp business acumen and a wealth of experience from both outside and within the university system to one of our most historic institutions,” Perdue said. “Savannah State University as the oldest public historically Black college and university in Georgia plays a critical role in helping more students graduate college and prosper in the workforce. We’re grateful to President Ballard-Washington for her dedicated service and welcome Cynthia into her new role at an institution we strongly support.”
See also:
Times Georgian
UWG students thrive in governmental internships
By Abigail Grizzad Special To The Times Georgian
Five University of West Georgia students seeking experience in the inner workings of government had front-row seats to the process this semester, with four Wolves participating in the Georgia Legislative Internship Program (GLIP) and another serving in the Office of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. UWG News recently caught up with the five current students at the conclusion of their internships and asked them about the career-connected experiences and connections they found during their time under the Gold Dome.
WGAU Radio
UNG announces partnership with Amazon
By Tim Bryant
The University of North Georgia says it has entered into a partnership with Amazon, one that will come with tuition assistance and degree support for students at UNG.
From Clark Leonard, UNG…
The University of North Georgia is proud to partner with Amazon’s Career Choice program to provide affordable, quality and accessible education. Amazon Career Choice is an education benefit that empowers employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. It provides a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including prepaid college tuition, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency, high school diplomas and GEDs after working for the company for 90 days.
WRDW
Augusta University awards $10K grants to rural health projects
By Staff
Augusta University has announced that four collaborative research projects will each be awarded grants this year, in addition to collaborating with Burke Health to help treat patients. Each project will receive $10,000, to focus on clinical practice, health care delivery, research in rural health context, education for rural health care, and artistic representation from a rural perspective. Dr. Neil MacKinnon says, “This funding is intended to invite and support multidisciplinary collaborative partnerships that investigate issues around access to care, experiential learning, and connectivity in rural communities. These four funded projects reflect a mix of new collaborations and building off of previous research.”
Fruit Growers News
UGA student maps peach trees in detail with laser scanners
Near the University of Georgia Griffin campus, Jordan Knapp-Wilson walks into a peach orchard equipped with a myriad of laser-equipped scanners, targets and tripods. He’ll spend the next few hours using data collection tools with the potential to change the peach industry. These small laser scanners enable Knapp-Wilson to accomplish in a few hours what would normally take weeks. Using a 360-degree camera and terrestrial light detection and ranging, he can count and map each branch on every tree to create a three-dimensional image of the orchard. Knapp-Wilson, a doctoral student in the Institute for Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, explained that the technology does more than create an attractive, novel 3D image.
The Augusta Chronicle
MCG dean: Georgia needs more doctors and Wellstar-AU Health merger can make it happen
Abraham Kenmore
The Medical College of Georgia may have the main campus in Augusta, but its students are learning and providing care throughout the state. Besides a whole four-year campus in Athens, students in their final two years of a four-year degree work on clinical skills at regional campuses in Savannah, Brunswick, Albany, Rome, and Dalton. The one place they do not have a regional campus is in Atlanta. But now, with the upcoming merger with the Wellstar Health System, they may be able to expand there, too. David C. Hess, dean of the Medical College of Georgia, spoke at length to the Chronicle about how MCG, the only public medical school in Georgia and one of two academic medical centers, is working to train the next generation of doctors in the Peach State, and how combining with Wellstar may change and expand the work that they do.
WRBL
Three Columbus State University graduate programs ranked as “among the best”
by: Mubashir Zaidi
A new Best Graduation School rankings include three Columbus State University graduate programs as “among the best.” U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 released its Best Graduate School rankings on April 25. The report cited Columbus State’s graduate programs in education, public administration and business administration as among the “best” in the nation.
Augusta CEO
Staff Report
Almost half of America’s adult population is hypertensive. Many of these hypertensive adults are unaware that their blood pressure is elevated. One of the best ways to effectively manage blood pressure is to check it regularly. The American Heart Association (the Association) partnered with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University (MCG at AU) to address hypertension by implementing a Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure (SMBP) initiative. Research shows that SMBP, coupled with clinical support, can improve blood pressure control.
AllOnGeorgia
The Princeton Review, known for its education services and school rankings in dozens of categories important to college applicants and their parents alike, reported its Best Value Colleges for 2023.
Georgia Tech was ranked #1 for public colleges in three categories: Best Value Colleges Overall, Best Value Colleges for Career Placement, and Best Value Colleges for Students with No Demonstrated Need
WTVM
‘I’m so excited’: Columbus State University hosts meet the Moores
By Amaya Graham
Columbus State University holding a special event to celebrate the renaming of Fort Benning to Fort Moore. Students and faculty members got the opportunity to hear about who the 105-year-old Army installation will be named after. It’s been a few years in the making, with a federal mandate to change the names of nine military bases that commemorated Confederate officers, including Fort Benning.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
‘Her final days’: Family of UGA senior diagnosed with brain tumor stops treatment
By Caroline Silva
If Liza Burke’s mother could hang onto her daughter for just a little longer, she would. The family of the University of Georgia senior, who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor after a spring break trip to Mexico, has decided to stop her treatment, her mother Laura McKeithen recently wrote online. “We begin the hunt for the perfect place by the sea where Liza can enjoy her final days supported by the infinite love that surrounds her,” McKeithen said.
WRDW
Augusta University dorms flood again, making it twice this year
By Staff
Augusta University dorms have flooded again, making it twice now this semester, according to university officials. A sprinkler head was damaged during routine maintenance on Thursday morning in the Oak Hall dorms, officials say. The damage caused flooding and affected the rooms of approximately 20 to 25 students, according to the university.
Times Georgian
Three Women’s golf standouts named All GSC
By Jared Boggus UWG Sports
Three women’s golf standouts from the University of West Georgia have been named All-Gulf South Conference, all three earning multiple All-Conference awards now in their careers. Ainsley Cowart earned First Team All-GSC honors for the third time in her career while Maddy Schultz and Katherine Densmore made the Second Team. It was Schultz’s third honor of her career and the second for Densmore.
Reuters
These law schools aced the job market in 2022
By Karen Sloan
The University of Virginia School of Law had a banner year on the jobs front in 2022. More than 95% of the school’s 2022 juris doctors secured permanent, full-time jobs that require passing the bar — the most among all 197 American Bar Association-accredited law schools, new figures show. Virginia, with 95.41% of 2022 graduates in legal jobs, unseated Columbia Law School, which held the top spot for jobs among 2021 law graduates. It was a tight race at the top. Duke Law School, at 95.33%, and Columbia, at 95.21% came within a half-percentage point of Virginia’s results. The University of Georgia School of Law and New York University School of Law round out the top five, with employment rates of 94.79% and 94.50%, respectively.
Broadway World
Prints Initiative grantees are selected based on a demonstrated commitment to prints as a significant collecting area and teaching tool.
by Stephi Wild
The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation announced ten new recipients of its Frankenthaler Prints Initiative, an ongoing program for university-affiliated art museums that reflects the Foundation’s commitment to supporting undergraduate and graduate education in the visual arts and art history. The awardees include ten museums from across the country, each of which will receive a group of prints and five to ten related trial proofs drawn from the Foundation’s extensive collection of work by Frankenthaler. The museums also receive a one-time grant of $25,000 to develop a project or program for the study, presentation, and interpretation of the editions and proofs within a three-year timeframe. Prints Initiative grantees are selected based on a demonstrated commitment to prints as a significant collecting area and teaching tool. …University art museums awarded 2023 Frankenthaler Prints Initiative gifts include: …Georgia Museum of Art – University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Augusta CEO
Health Center Credit Union CEO Among Those Honored at Augusta University Alumni Weekend
Kevin Faigle
During the 2023 Alumni Weekend, Augusta University will honor several distinguished and outstanding young alumni, among them Stacy Tallent, CEO of the Health Center Credit Union. Tallent will be recognized as the distinguished alumnus from the James M. Hull College of Business during the festivities April 28-30. He earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from Augusta University.
GPB
One way to prevent suicides: limit access to guns
By: Mansee Khurana
More than half of gun-related deaths in the U.S. are suicides. But James Russell, a biology professor at Georgia Gwinnett College, says that most people do not want to accept how common it is. “People that haven’t been through this just want to bury their head in the sand,” Russell says. “They don’t want to hear it.” Russell’s father took his own life when Russell was 15. He died two days after he turned a gun on himself, which gave Russell time to see and talk to his dad one last time. Russell recalls seeing him in the hospital bed, holding his hand, and his father speaking to James one last time. “He said you don’t understand. And then after a pause, he said it was an accident.” Research says that’s true: Most people who attempt suicide only contemplate the decision for an hour. …Mark Pennack is the president of Maryland Carry, a gun rights group that is lobbying the state legislature to reject proposed requirements for firearms dealers to distribute information about firearms as a suicide risk factor. “Guns don’t cause somebody to want to kill themselves,” Pennack argues. …But Russell rejects the argument that guns aren’t a major contributor to suicide. “There’s very little turning back when you use a gun.” He believes that working toward safer gun policies will help avert similar tragedies. “Guns make temporary problems terminal.”
WGAU Radio
UGA schedules memorial service
By Tim Bryant
The University of Georgia schedules May 2 as the date for its annual Day of Remembrance. A memorial service at the University Chapel will honor the 26 UGA faculty and staff who have died over the past year. Among them: Bulldog football player Devin Willock and Athletic Department recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy, who were killed in a January 15 car crash on Barnett Shoals Road in Athens.
From Stan Jackson, UGA Media Relations…
Twenty-six University of Georgia students, faculty and staff members who have died since April 2022 will be honored at the university’s annual candlelight memorial service on May 2 at 7 p.m. on the steps of the UGA Chapel. President Jere W. Morehead will lead the service. Names of each of the 11 students and 15 faculty and staff members will be read aloud, followed by a toll of the Chapel bell and the lighting of a candle.
Savannah Morning News
Devin Willock’s mother says his father doesn’t have authority to sue UGA
Marc Weiszer
Athens Banner-Herald
The mother of Devin Willock, the Georgia football player who was killed in a January crash in a vehicle driven by a UGA staffer, is contesting the right of his father to pursue a $2 million wrongful death claim against the university, according to a letter sent by lawyers who represent her. Sharlene Willock’s attorneys filed a petition March 2 in Athens-Clarke County Probate Court to appoint her as personal administrator of Devin Willock’s estate. They sent a letter to the Board of Regents Wednesday taking issue with a legal notice sent April 11 by lawyers representing Dave Willock that her lawyers say she was unaware of the notice until it became public on Tuesday, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Athens Banner-Herald in an open records request.
The Red & Black
GUEST COLUMN: UCWGA fights for fairer parking services for workers at UGA
Morgan P. Tate | Guest Columnist (soon-to-be doctoral graduate in the Mary Frances Early College of Education)
The University of Georgia, which has a billion-dollar endowment, currently charges its staff and faculty, including its lowest paid staff, to pay to park on campus. Essential workers making $15 an hour at UGA have to pay between $10-40 a month, which adds up to $120-480 a year, to park on campus. Currently, parking is run by Auxiliary Services, which is not funded by the state of Georgia. It is not funded by the state of Georgia, because the University System of Georgia (run by the Board of Regents) does not believe that parking on campus is a necessary function at UGA. In turn, Auxiliary Services charges everyone (staff, faculty, visitors, students) that park on campus to pay based solely off of location, without holding themselves to the same standards of conduct that UGA holds its students to: wisdom, justice and moderation. …There is nothing wise about making essential workers pay to park on campus.
Other News:
Georgia Recorder
Ag leaders lobby for better risk management programs at U.S. House farm bill hearing
By: Adam Goldstein
Commodity trade group leaders at a U.S. House Agriculture subcommittee hearing this week advocated for bolstered risk management programs and maintaining foreign market access as tools to support farmers amid volatile times. The industry representatives said supply chain disruptions and increased production costs have tightened margins for large-scale farmers, and decreased the effectiveness of commodity and crop insurance programs in supporting them amid disasters. Such federal programs are intended to lessen the risk of farming for producers of major commodities like corn, wheat, soybeans and other crops. The commodity group leaders emphasized the need to avoid any cuts to crop insurance and commodity programs in the farm bill, especially with a decline in projected farm income. They are considered to be the “most important” tool among producers to respond to natural disasters and challenges with overseas markets. …“As the risk challenges of farming continue to mount, I think it is safe to say that if you’re not farming today, you’re likely not going to be farming tomorrow,” said Republican Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia, chairman of the House Agriculture General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit Subcommittee.
Higher Education News:
Statesboro Herald
FBI: Scam targeting parents of students at Georgia universities
From staff reports
A phone scam where individuals pose as university or college law enforcement officials is seeing a rise in Georgia, according to a release from the FBI in Atlanta. The phone scam calls potential victims regarding outstanding warrants or fines against their children and asking them for payment. The scammers use spoofed law enforcement phone numbers, along with the names, positions and addresses of officers. The current scam is largely targeting parents or guardians of students at Georgia universities.
Inside Higher Ed
Low-Income Students Stand to Benefit From Stackable Credentials
By Sara Weissman
A recent report by the RAND Corporation, a nonpartisan policy think tank, and researchers at the University of Michigan suggests that low-income students are more likely to earn stackable credentials than their peers. The report focuses on two states, Ohio and Colorado. It found that 39 percent of low-income Colorado learners who earned certificates earned a second credential within three years, compared to 33 percent of middle-income and high-income learners who held certificates. Meanwhile, 43 percent of low-income certificate earners in Ohio completed a second credential in that time period compared to 36 percent of their higher-income counterparts.
Inside Higher Ed
A Free Speech Violation or Overdue Discipline?
A tenured professor at Bakersfield College says district leaders are firing him for expressing conservative views. College administrators dispute that and cite a long list of charges.
By Sara Weissman
A tenured history professor at Bakersfield College in California who founded a controversial, conservative-leaning faculty group received notice earlier this month that the Kern Community College District Board had voted to fire him. The professor, Matthew Garrett, says administrators are penalizing him for exercising his free speech. College leaders say the decision has nothing to do with his conservative views and have charged him with a litany of offenses. The Kern Community College District Board of Trustees voted to end Garrett’s employment in a closed session at a board meeting on April 13, according to a notice provided to Garrett the following day. At the meeting, the board listened to public remarks from Garrett and other faculty members before discussing the matter and ultimately deferred making a public announcement on its decision. The termination notice, however, was leaked to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech advocacy organization. It gives Garrett the option to appeal the decision within 30 days, which he has done.
Higher Ed Dive
Directly engage men student-athletes in sexual assault prevention efforts, advocates say
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
Dive Brief:
Men student-athletes say they lack the knowledge and skills to serve as active bystanders when it comes to preventing sexual assault, despite having the desire to do so, according to a new report from It’s On Us, an organization dedicated to preventing campus sexual assault. Surveyed athletes also said they don’t consider their colleges’ awareness and prevention programs to be effective. It’s On Us recommends colleges offer prevention education that includes statistics on and examples of the spectrum of healthy to unhealthy relationships, as well as of abusive behaviors. Putting gender-inclusive examples into prevention programs is pivotal to combating the stereotype that men are not susceptible to sexual and domestic violence, the report said. Programming should also highlight a college’s reporting procedures and support resources for survivors who are men, as well as how athletes can support teammates who experience sexual misconduct or domestic abuse.
Inside Higher Ed
California 2-Year Colleges Won’t Pause Approving 4-Year Programs
By Sara Weissman
California Community College leaders have indicated they plan to move forward with approving bachelor’s degree programs at their institutions, despite a request from state lawmakers to pause in response to objections from the California State University system, EdSource reported. Legislation signed into law last October, Assembly Bill 927, made permanent a set of 15 pilot baccalaureate programs at community colleges and allows new four-year programs at these institutions. …Assemblymember Mike Fong, who chairs the Assembly higher education committee, and State Senator Josh Newman, who chairs the Senate education committee, wrote a letter to the chancellor’s office last week asking the community college system to halt the current cycle of applications to “discuss a better resolution process for disputes” and “better define program duplication,” Cal Matters first reported. The request came after California State University system leaders complained that the chancellor’s office approved an applied fire management program at Feather River College, despite their objections that it resembled programs their campuses offer.
Inside Higher Ed
Hundreds of UNC Professors Oppose ‘Overreach’
Faculty members are opposing what they consider encroachments from three sources: the state Legislature, the UNC Board of Governors and the Chapel Hill Board of Trustees itself.
By Ryan Quinn
Hundreds of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty members are speaking out against right-leaning proposals from their governing boards and, now, the state General Assembly. It’s reminiscent of faculty objections to legislative and other proposals to diminish tenure and target diversity, equity and inclusion in Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Since January, Chapel Hill faculty members have raised concerns over their flagship campus leaders’ proposed School of Civic Life and Leadership. David Boliek, chairman of the campus’s Board of Trustees, called the initiative “an effort to try to remedy” what he called a lack of “right-of-center views” on campus. The broader UNC system’s Board of Governors, appointed by the Republican-majority General Assembly, has also been accused of politically motivated decisions. And House Bill 715, currently in the General Assembly, would say faculty hired after July 1, 2024, in the UNC system or at North Carolina community college can’t receive tenure.
Inside Higher Ed
2 Apparent Suicides in 24 Hours at N.C. State
By Johanna Alonso
Two North Carolina State University students died, apparently by suicide, within a 24-hour period, ABC11 reported Thursday. They are the sixth and seventh suicides among NC State students this academic year. …Seven other students have also died this year at NC State, which enrolls 36,000 students. Among those, one was killed in a car accident, two suffered “accidental deaths” and three others died from what university officials called “natural causes,” the News & Observer reported.
Inside Higher Ed
After a swath of swatting incidents hit universities across the country, some students are taking issue with how and when their institutions notified them of the threats.
By Johanna Alonso
University of Pittsburgh sophomore Zach Shafer was working on his thermodynamics homework late on the evening of April 10 when police suddenly swarmed the Hillman Library and ordered students to evacuate. Shafer, sitting in view of the library’s front doors, was one of the first students out, leaving behind his laptop, textbooks and headphones—everything but his phone. …He didn’t know it at the time, but the city of Pittsburgh police had received three calls about a shooting at the library—calls with the sound of gunshots playing in the background. … Officers discovered there was no shooting; the calls had been a hoax, part of a phenomenon known as swatting, in which phony threats are made in an attempt to elicit a SWAT team response. …But details of the incident took a while to reach students. Administrators didn’t send a message right away explaining why police had evacuated the library—not even once they determined there was no genuine risk—because another threat was called in shortly after. Shafer and his friends found out the library threat was false from a tweet by a Pittsburgh city government agency before any notification came from the university.